Very rough beginning, and often lacking in some real tangible grit, this ends up becoming fun enough, and is thankfully clever enough not to overstay its welcome at a reasonable 95 minutes.
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Shaun of the Dead 2004
Terrifically funny, visually inventive, snappy dialogue, strong emotional arc, what else can one ask for? I think there's a strong argument to be made for the Cornetto trilogy to be among the very best film series.
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The Hitcher 1986
I mean, what would you expect if you picked up a hitchhiking Rutger Hauer in the middle of nowhere?
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Oppenheimer 2023
A return to form for Nolan after the disappointment of Tenet. It speaks to his skills as a filmmaker that this 3 hour honker of a film (that mostly consists of people having conversations) is rarely anything but captivating cinema. Really good stuff!
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Barbie 2023
Very fun in the moment, with Ryan Gosling being the clear standout in a very good ensemble. What’s ultimately frustrating about Barbie is its mushy stance on anything. It pokes fun at itself at every corner, becoming super meta about it being nothing more than an overlong ad to shell out more $$$ for plastic dolls, but then flip-flops that with broad, yet earnest proclamations of female empowerment. The latter rings hollow though because the former is such an unashamedly…
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The Addiction 1995
Beautifully shot but very meandering tale of mid 90s Lili Taylor turning into a vampire in New York, while the whole process gets likened to drug addiction. See where they got that title from?
Lili Taylor is really freakin’ good in the main role but it’s Christopher Walken that’ll stick with you, putting on some extra slices of the finest Walken in his unfortunately brief appearance.
Watched at Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco as part of their Terror Tuesday series.
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The Happiness of the Katakuris 2001
The kind of movie that is such sick fun to discover and makes you wanna tell everyone about it. This is a trip and a half and also one heck of a comic musical.
Watched it at the Alamo Drafthouse in San Francisco with a very game crowd.
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The Father 2020
Paris. They don't even speak English there.
Turns out Anthony Hopkins WAS worthy of that Best Actor trophy.
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Talk to Me 2022
Underwhelming would put it generously. Given the hype this film received it falls well below expectations, suffering from very sloppy, cliché-ridden writing, nonsensical characters and a severe lack of scares or tension. There’s some gory craft on display and the central premise of teens getting high on being possessed by demons has a lot of potential. But it’s potential that ultimately never gets fulfilled. Sadly it’s all a bit of a disappointment.